Superman: Beginnings
by DoctorWho507
Summary: The first Superman story in my DCEU.
1. Chapter 1

1998, Iraq. 23-year old reporter Clark Kent is riding down the road with a military convoy. The radio in the car was playing *Remy Zero - Save Me*. Clark pulls out his tape-recorder. "So, General," Clark began asking, "you saw the power LuthorCorp put into the _Chronus_ Missile. What do you think would happen if our Saddam Hussein got ahold of one of these?"

"Mr. Kent, I can honestly tell you that if Saddam Hussein got ahold of even one of these LuthorCorp missiles, the entire Middle East, from Egypt to Pakistan, would be under his control."

"Alright then, I just about asked all the questions Perry wanted me to ask, so, once we get back stateside, all you need to do is have our photographer, Jimmy Olsen, take a picture of you for our front page. By the way General, one more, thing, how long do you see Saddam Hussein's reign lasting?"

"Five years at most." That is when they hear an explosion from the Jeep in front of them. The Jeep stops. The General and two of his men grab their guns and head out, but are killed as they get out the door. Clark Kent made his way around the vehicle and made a run for it. He needed a chance to change into Superman. But he sees a rocket hit the ground five feet from him. The label on the missile said "LuthorCorp". Before Clark could react, he was caught in a green explosion. He then looked at his chest and saw himself bleeding. Superman was bleeding. Superman then realizes that the LuthorCorp missile was a special one with Kryptonite mixed in.

The next thing Clark saw was himself tied to a chair, surrounded by armed guards and Red Sun Lamps. There was also a camera. One of them was speaking to them in Arabic, a language Superman was yet to understand. Superman didn't know what he was saying, he only knew that he was in trouble.

A few hours later, Superman wakes up a few hours later, in a white tank top and black jeans, strapped down by kryptonite bonds. He takes a look and sees his chest completely healed. He looks over and sees an individual with short red hair. The individual presses a button which releases Superman from his restraint. He gets up only to realize that the lights in the room are Red Sun Lamps. The individual helps Superman to his feet. "You alright?" The individual asked.

"Yeah." A few minutes later they sat down talking. "So, who are you?"

"My name is Henry O'Ryan."

"O'Ryan. Where are you from?"

"Not here. I was sent here to neutralize enemy forces should they come. Guess I got something."

"My captors…"

"Black Zero, a group of foreign fighters bent on taking down superhumans, i.e., you."

"What do they want with me?"

"You have the power to take down the governments of the world, not get a scratch and do it in under an hour."

"And they want that power?"

"No, they want to destroy it. They believe that you are a threat to their God."

"Allah, you mean."

"No, not Allah. He goes by a different name, the God of Evil, my people call him. They worship him and believe he will come and end the world. And they do not want anyone standing in their way when he comes. They call him Aljanib Almuzlim. As for the group itself, well, I've only been here a short while, but I've learned to translate 47% of the languages they speak."

"They don't just speak Arabic?"

"No. They also speak Hungarian, Mongolian, Russian, name a language, they got it." They then hear a pounding on the door. Then 6 armed guards came in with what appeared to be their commander. Henry and Clark both had their hands behind their heads. The commander started talking to them but Superman couldn't understand. "He says welcome Kal-El, last son of Krypton."

"They know who I am, how do they know who I am?" Henry asks them that in Arabic, the commander replies.

"He said, our anonymous partner told us. And that you have certain weaknesses, and that your crystalline fortress up north contains alien technology with power that with your knowledge, we can bring Aljanib Almuzlim to Earth. I am speaking for myself at this point, but I told them that the technology needed to bring their God hear requires the help of an alien species."

"So grabbing me was your idea."

"More or less." The commander starts speaking again. "He says they have schematics to Kryptonian weaponry, received from our anonymous source. They want you to build this Kryptonian Missile. He says that our anonymous source tells us that you know how to build these because all Kryptonian knowledge is in your head, compliments of Jor-El."

"I refuse." They dunk Clark's head in a tank of water, to force him to comply. Under normal circumstances, Clark could go through this no problem, but under Red Sun Lamps, he is as mortal as the next guy. A minute later, he complies. Clark walks outside with the commander and Henry.

"He wants to know what you think."

"I think you got a lot of LuthorCorp weapons." The commander starts to speak again.

"He says they have everything you need to build the missile, and once you are done, they will set you free." The commander extends his hand. Clark shakes it.

"No he won't."

"No he won't."


	2. Chapter 2

Henry O'Ryan and Clark Kent are playing a game of Backgammon. "So, Mr. Kent, just how did you come to Earth?"

"My, Father, Jor-El...

 _Flashback…_

 _Jor-El was coming home from his meeting with the Council of Krypton, meeting to talk about the destabilization of the planet's core. When he got back, he was madder than ever. "Jor-El," Lara Lor-Van said, "how did it go? Did the Council of Krypton listen to you?"_

" _AGH! The fools didn't even look at my research. I gave them thorough, firm, substantiated evidence that Krypton's core has become unstable. I tried reasoning with them, I tried bargaining with them, but Rao help us they wouldn't listen. At least one good thing came out of the meeting, General Zod and his zealots have been banished to the Phantom Zone. Krypton can't be saved now. The only way Krypton will survive is through our son." Lara Lor-Van holds her son, Kal-El, in her arms. "This planet's universal name is Earth. The star it is orbiting is a young, his cells will drink its radiation and he will gain the powers of a god."_

" _He will be alone. No one to guide him on his path. No one to love him…"_

" _Not necessarily," Jor-El holds up a piece of Crystal in the shape of the house of emblem, "This contains every bit of knowledge both Earth and Krypton has to offer, as well as my memories. I'll be there for him. I'm sorry there wasn't much I could do for you."_

" _It's alright." Lara Lor-Van places her newborn son in the spacecraft. "So long, Kal-El. Do not forget us."_

" _Be strong, my little Kal-El." The spacecraft closes as it takes off. There was then a great earthquake. Jor-El held his wife tight as the planet of Krypton imploded._

 _Smallville, Kansas, 1975. A couple of farmers, Jonathan and Martha Kent, were driving down the road when what appeared to be a meteorite came down and crashed into their Chevrolet. The couple got out and saw a baby boy in it. Martha grabbed hold of him and held him in her arms._

 _18 years later, it had been a week since Kal-El, now calling himself Clark Kent, just graduated from Smallville High School. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, black pants, and a red jacket. For a while, Clark had been pondering the question Lana Lang asked him a long time ago. "What are you?" He thought. "Man or Superman?" He went to the grave of Jonathan Kent, who apparently died of a heart attack some time ago. He visited his mother, who gave him a piece of Crystal that resembled an "S", and left for a while. "This was found with your ship. There were instructions as what to do with it. You are supposed to take it to the far north." Clark did just that. He kept going north, and north, and north until he reached the Arctic Circle. He threw the piece of Crystal into the Arctic Ocean. He then saw a structure made of pure crystal rise from the Arctic. He walked through its halls until he reached a large room. He saw the piece of crystal and placed it in one of the crystalline tubes. An image of his father, Jor-El appeared._

" _Kal-El," he started, "I am Jor-El, your father. If you are seeing this message, then our world is gone. When you were a child, I discovered that our planet was about to explode, and to spare you our fate, I sent you to this world. You are quite possibly the only survivor of the planet Krypton. Even though you have been raised a human, you are not one of them. Their world's yellow sun will give you abilities no human can match. Live among them, Kal-El. Guide their path for they are now what we once were. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show them the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son. Preserve your heritage, Kal-El. You are the last of your race. The Last Son of Krypton." Just then a blue suit appears with the Seal of the House of El in the middle. He changed into it, and flies off._

 _Flashback ends._

"Right, well now we need a way out of here."

"I can got one." Clark hands Henry some paper. When he flattened it, it turned into this hexagon device.

"What is it?"

"Some of these LuthorCorp use Ultraviolet Radiation, which is the source of my powers. It'll build up in my body, but my powers are still neutralized by these Red Sun Lamps. Once these lamps are down, I'll have enough power to get us both out of here."

"Right. Let's get to work."


	3. Chapter 3

Clark Kent and Henry O'Ryan quickly put together the UV Device for Superman. Superman kept it close to his chest and well hidden within his shirt. The next part of Superman's plan was put into action, disabling the Red Sun Lamps which kept his powers at bay. Whenever the Black Zero people were watching them put together the missile, the reality was all Clark and Henry were doing were building was a piece of junk which didn't do anything. However, one afternoon, their leader, a man named Mazhab al-Yasir, saw them working on the computer and saw that as they were doing this, one of the Red Sun Lamps started flickering on and off.

A minute later, several armed guards entered the room where the two of them were working. Mazhab walked in. "The bow and arrow once was the pinnacle of weapons technology. It allowed the great Genghis Khan to create an empire stretching from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great, and four times the size of the Roman Empire. Now, if one were to get ahold of alien weaponry, he rules the world." Mazhab then started speaking Arabic. " _Why have you failed me?_ "

" _We are working._ " Henry replied.

" _I let you live. And this is how you repay me? What are the two of you planning?_ " Henry remains silent. " _Hold him down._ " Two armed guards hold Henry down and press his face to the table. Mazhab takes one of the embers and prepares to stick it in Henry's mouth. " _What are you planning?_ " He kept asking.

" _We are working on your missile._ " Henry kept replying. After asking the third time, Mazhab was ready to put the ember in his mouth. Finally Clark couldn't just stand by anymore.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" The guards point their guns at Clark. "Please. I need his help." Mazhab thought about this for a while, and put down the ember.

"You have till tomorrow to assemble my missile." The guards left the room. Clark got on the computer and the security cameras and the Red Sun Lamps.

"How long till your back at full power?"

"Five minutes."

It was two minutes when Black Zero realized something was wrong and sent some guards down. Henry was worried. The guards came down the room but Henry didn't speak the language they were speaking.

"I am not at full strength, can you stall them?"

"He's speaking Urdu, I don't speak Urdu!"

"Do you know any of it?"

"I haven't gotten around to learning it yet!" In the next minute the screaming guards tried opening the cell door only to be blown away by an explosion. Henry could hear multiple guards coming down the hall. So he picks up a gun and starts shooting at the Black Zero. That was until he was surrounded. Fortunately for him, Clark Kent had regained his strength. He came zooming out the door. One of the guards started shooting at him, but Superman grabbed the gun and destroyed it. He then punched him to the ground, knocking out the guards. As he walked down the halls, Superman saw a Black Zero member, and threw him to the ground. Many Black Zero members saw this and ran from Superman.

Superman chased three of a group of four into a bulletproof room, leaving the fourth guy shooting at Superman to no success. Superman grabbed the AK-47 he was holding and destroyed it. The then punched the Black Zero soldier in the gut, knocking him down. Superman then ripped open the bulletproof doors with his bare hands. The three of them ran for their lives. Superman grabbed the backs of the shirts of one of them, and threw them at the wall. One snuck up behind Superman with a pistol. He shot Superman in the head, but the bullet ricocheted of off Superman into the guy's left ear. Superman walks away from him.

Superman walks into the room where Henry O'Ryan is. Superman sees Henry lying on his back on top of a bunch of bags full of sand. "Watch out!" Henry screams. That is when he sees Mazhab al-Yasir in front of him with a rocket launcher. He fires it at Superman, the blast destroys his UV power source but it doesn't damage Superman. Superman uses his heat vision to destroy the rocket launcher, but causes an explosion that sets Mazhab on fire. Superman then uses his super breath to blow him into a wall. He extends his hand to Henry O'Ryan.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I am good to go."

"No offense, but how are you still alive?"

"A story for another time."

"Stay behind me."

"But the UV Emitter…"

"No longer necessary." A minute later, Superman and Henry step out into the burning sunlight and sees many armed Black Zero soldiers waiting for him. They start shooting at him but have no effect. "My turn." He says to them. Superman uses his super speed to run up to them, knock them out and them pile their knocked out bodies inside the cave. He then uses his heat vision to destroy their stockhold of weapons, this caused an explosion powerful enough to be seen from a nearby military convoy. Superman grabs Henry's arm and flies east only a few yards away from the military convoy. Superman put on his glasses as the military convoy walked over to him.

"Gentlemen," one of the soldiers said, "I am Captain James Henderson. Might I ask who you two are?"

"Clark Kent."

"Henry O'Ryan."

"And what are you two boys doing out here in the middle of the desert?" As Clark Kent and Henry O'Ryan told them that a group called Black Zero had held them hostage and that they managed to escape, the two of them realized that this was not over yet.


End file.
